Wednesday, May 27, 2009

What Jobs You Should Never Ask Your Maid to Do By Eisla Sebastian I

Maids are typically hired for normal housekeeping tasks like vacuuming, laundry, dish washing, scrubbing floors and cleaning the bathroom. Some will even pick up extra chores like watching the kids and cooking. However, there are some jobs that simply are not appropriate to ask your maid to do as a part of their normal duties. These jobs go above and beyond what is safe or practical for the average maid to perform.

Heavy Lifting If a job requires your maid to lift something that is over 20 pounds, it is typically not an appropriate job to assign her or him. Heavy lifting jobs like moving furniture, moving heavy boxes or transferring adults who have mobility issues are all high-risk jobs that you shouldn't assign to your maid. These jobs have the potential for a serious back injury, which can lead to lawsuits and a lot of financial problems. Generally, if there is heavy lifting involved, you will want to hire someone who has the equipment or training to do these jobs safely or do them yourself.

Hazardous Materials Cleaning up hazardous materials is another job that you don't want to ask your maid to do. Hazardous materials include human waste, body fluids, medical needles, chemical spills and large areas of mold. In some households a maid can be specially trained to handle human waste and medical needles, however, the average maid or cleaning service is not going to accept assignments that deal with hazardous materials. These jobs will need to be hired out to specialty cleaning services. Climbing Ladders It is not reasonable to ask a maid to do chores that involve climbing a tall ladder, such as washing second story windows or cleaning extra high shelves. Some maids may accept these types of jobs, but allowing them to do these jobs can be risky as falls and injuries can occur as a result of working on a ladder.

In most cases, it is best to work with a contractor that carries their own workers compensation and liability insurance to complete these jobs for you. Assigning Jobs to Household Workers When assigning jobs to your household workers, you need to make sure that you match your jobs with the abilities of your workers. Maids can handle most of your housekeeping chores; however, avoid assigning them jobs that require heavy lifting, handling hazardous materials or climbing tall ladders. When you have jobs that require special skills, training or strength, you should hire an independent contractor that carries their own insurance. This will reduce the chances of an accident occurring and reduce your financial and legal risks.

About Author

Eisla Sebastian is a web content creator for Yodle, a small business directory and local online advertising company offering practical and innovative solutions for advertising in the 21st century. Find consumer guides, tips, local maids and more at local.yodle.com/articles.

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